Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1887-11-19
| C0pUri0hted, ISL

The name applied by one of the older
medical authors to diphtheria was "mor-
bus strangulatus" choking disease.
Any one who has ever seen a child strug-
Cling for breath in the long death agony
of Group or diphtheria of the windpipe
will at once recognize the acute observa-
ton and graphic force of the writer who
gave to this terrible malady such an ap-
propriate name. Diphtheria is one of the
most fatal scourges of childhood. Dur
ing the years 1888 and 1884 the total
number of deaths recorded from diph-
liberia and Group in sixteen cities of the
United States having an aggregate popu
lation of 6,365,000 was 5000, or about
one to every eight hundred of population.
The two diseases are considered to-
gether in this paper because great
many physicians do not recognize them
as separate affections. So long as diph-
iberia is limited to the throat there can
be no question of confounding it with
Group, but when it begins in the wind
pipe, the difficulty presents itself of diff
Terminating one disease from the other.
For all practical purposes diphtheria
and Group may be regarded as essentially
one disease. The question of identity or
otherwise is almost purely theoretical
one and hardly profitable theme for
discussion even among medical men. In
these remarks, the existence of Group as
an Independent disease will be ignored,
and if the name is used at all, will be
understood as referring to diphtheria of
the windpipe.
Diphtheria usually begins in very
insidious manner. The most marked
symptoms are fever, headache, loss of
appetite, great languor, aching in the
loins and limbs in short, great discom-
fort There is sensation of fullness or
stiffness in the throat, with some tender
ness on swallowing. There is rarely the
acute pain or swelling that is such a
prominent symptom in quinsy or ton
sillitis. On examination there will
usually be found some swelling and red
ness of the tonsils and back of the throat
The Redeemed surface is f1ecked here and
there with whitish patches, or if the dis
ease has existed for some days the entire
cavity of the throat and the tonsils may
be covered with a sheet of whitish mem
brane. There is usually no hoarseness
difficulty of breathing, or cough unless
the swelling or false membrane has ex-
tended down into the windpipe.
The glands about the neck frequently
become swollen, and there is sometimes
an irritating discharge from the nostrils
The latter may also be lined with false
membrane similar to that in the throat,
and there are often frequent bleedings
from the nose. The breath is usually
very offensive. This has given origin to
one of the former names of the disease,
''putrid sore throat"
Diphtheria was first recognized in
America in 1771, and prevailed more or
less extensively throughout the northern
portion of the country until the end of
the century. On December IA, 1899, it
caused the death of George Washington,
at his home at Mount Vernon.
In the first half of the present century
the disease was observed in different
places, but not until thirty years ago did
its epidemic prevalence attract much at
tention. Since 1860 it has been an al
most constant factor in the mortality
records of the country. Every State in
the Union contributes its quota of deaths
from diphtheria to the mortality tables
of the tenth census.
The cause of diphtheria is probably a
minute germ which gains access to the
throat in the air, adheres to the mucous
membrane and destroys it. The germ or
some of its poisonous products are also
absorbed into the blood and SO give rise to
the symptoms of blood poisoning, to
which many of the patients succumb
The disease is eminently contagious !;
and near approach to diphtheritic pa
tient, or inhaling the air expired from
the diseased throat, has often been the
cause of its spread. A few years ago one
of the daughters of Queen Victoria, the
Princess Alice of Hesse-D armstadt, died
of diphtheria, contracted through kiss
from her own dying daughter. A
similar caress has been the occa-
sion of the spread of the disease
in numberless other instances It is
sometimes transmitted by pets Qkittens)
which have acquired the disease from
other animals or from persons who have
handled them. Clothing, food, drink,
bedding; in short, any infected article
may be the medium of it's spread The
writer has reason to believe that he ac-
quired one attack in sleepingcar. In
this case the poison was probably adhe-
rent to the blankets and was Inhaled
during sleep. The disease was developed
within forty-eight hours after reaching
home.
Persons sick with diphtheria should
be promptly isolated and no one but the
immediate attendants allowed to come in
contact with the patients. Table linen,
knives, forks and spoons, clothing,
towels and bedding; in fact, everything
which has been used by or about the pa
tient, should be thoroughly disinfected by
boiling in water before being removed
from the room occupied by the patient.
If that cannot be done, the articles
should be immersed in solution of
chloride of lime of the strength of four
ounces to the gallon. Great care must
be taken to thoroughly disinfect napkins,
handkerchiefs or towels which may be
used to receive the expectoration of the
patient. If these articles are not of
much value it is great deal safer to burn
them than to attempt disinfection, which
may fail through inefficiency or negli-
gence of a servant.
Children should not be permitted to
return to school for at least four weeks
after recovering from an attack of
diphtheria. Besides the danger of COM
municating the disease to others, patients
are often so much weakened by the
'malady that the strain of continuous